English clubs would face losing a Champions League spot if Michel Platini wins the race to become president of UEFA.


The three-times former European footballer of the year, who is challenging the present incumbent, Lennart Johansson, to become the next UEFA president, believes no country should have more than three representatives in Europe's premier club competition.


"Four clubs are too many," said Platini today at the launch of his media campaign to become the next leader of European football after years at the top table of both UEFA and FIFA.

"For everybody -- for the country itself, the fans and for the TV rights. Three should be the absolute limit.

"I am not so stupid as to want to change the current format but there are not enough national champions in the last 32 of the tournament and that cannot be right."

England, Spain and Italy all have four clubs in the Champions League under the current rules.

Platini, 51, who had a glittering playing career, is the only candidate who has so far come forward to oppose Johansson, the 76-year-old Swede who has held the post since 1990 and is bidding to stand for a fourth and final time when the election among UEFA's 52 national federations takes place in January.

Kicking off his campaign trail in London -- he will visit four other countries over the next fortnight -- Platini said he intends to become more of an executive president, with additional power to make crucial decisions, and that he already has considerable backing.

Taking a veiled swipe at Johansson's decision to run again, Platini said: "I like Lennart Johansson. He's a very courageous guy but those who are pushing him are not so courageous.

"He told me two years ago he was retiring yet he came back to fight against me. I don't know why. I believe many federations would like him to withdraw rather than see him lose because he's a decent man and that would be very sad."

Outlining his vision for the future of football, Platini said that freedom of movement had got out of hand and that UEFA was far too compliant with the European Union which, he said, was wielding too much power.

He said he would introduce a European football charter to stop the game's warring factions from squabbling and try to create fresh unity.

Platini also denounced the practise of young players being sold on for monstrously fat fees -- only then to be surplus to requirements.

"We have to fight for youth players," said Platini.

"If a club develops a player between the age of 12 and 18 and another club then buys him, he has to carry on playing. Players are developed to play, not to be sold."

Although regarded as being too much of a visionary by some of his critics, Platini has been personally responsible for several crucial innovations that are now part and parcel of the game, most importantly the backpass rule.

If elected UEFA president, he said he would try to introduce four linesmen in professional football to replace the present two.

"We have to help referees who can't see everything and I believe two more assistants on either side of the pitch would do this," he said. "It would help judging offside decisions as well as a range of off-the-ball incidents."

But he said he would never embrace video evidence -- apart from goal-line technology, that is.

"I am totally against refereeing by video,'' Platini said.

"Where would it stop? If you start with videos, you will finish with videos and there would be no more referees."

He also said he supported automatic relegation for clubs who are unable to pay their debts, no matter how powerful they are.

"It can't be right that some countries get relegated for being heavily in debt while others can go on and win the Champions League."

source: soccernet

yes saw this on the BBC site. The title is a little misleading though. Kind of adequate for an english website, not so much an international community.

Would be a shame, Platini is always going on about how only national champs should be winning the C1, but I think the current format is the ideal counterweight to keep all the people wanting some euroleague at bay.

Platini is Sepp Blatter's bitch. If he gets in, Blatter will more or less run UEFA too. Thats something that Blatter has been trying to do for more than 10 years. Bad move if Platini suceeds.

Lennart Johansson is an old fart, but he and Blatter despise each other so that has to be a plus to Johansson.

I thought that the current system is fine with me. The four linesmen idea doesn't go with me.

I like this idea

its good for the future of football, just like we've seen countries seperate with poverty from 3rd world countries to developed ones we are seeing the same thing with football, the elite nations just keep on getting better

this will distribute money more evenly (Y)

atleast he has the ball to say this before he gets elected and not once he is in power

Ah well, its only Arsenal.

lol
4 linesmen is a good idea...it cant be bad to have better calls

what if one linesman one side says one thing and the linesman the other side says another? having two linesmen on each side is just going to double the amount of wrong calls made on offsides.

Good.

Wow. There is no world outside the EPL for you guys, is there? :nape:

will someone please edit the title to "CL spots to be limited at 3 per country" or something like that.
otherwise, i dont give a **** about this news, it just bothers me esthetically :D.

I dont agree, 3 spots is too little, underdogs aklways get 4rth spot, if theirs 3 spot it'll always be the same teams , which is stupid, UEFA C.L has good format, hopefully he doesnt win. so wat does that mean 4 and 5 will go to the UEFA Cup, mmm i dunno , i think he wants to balance Uefa Cup and C.l more evenly so both are prestigous prizes, so teams like Middlesborough dont make the finals more like Arsenal and like Athletico Madrid or something

Regarding linesmen, Quality not Quantity.

I ceratinly like the idea of four Linesmen. :shades:
Compared to other major football type sports (i.e; League) the quality
of Refrees in international and major domestic Soccer leagues is rather poor.
So anything that makes it better (without using cameras) is welcome by me.

Honestly, I'm suprised at how poor the quality of Referees are in Soccer.
Union and League Referees are way ahead of them, and it should be the other
way around given how much bigger Football/Soccer is.

As for freeing up four spots for other leagues - I'm on the fence with this one.

Honestly, I'm suprised at how poor the quality of Referees are in Soccer.
Union and League Referees are way ahead of them, and it should be the other
way around given how much bigger Football/Soccer is.


Totally disagree there , refereeing in league and union is pretty inconsistant, Melbourne were robbed in the grand final , and in Union every ref seems to have different interpretations of the rules.

I think 3 teams isn't a bad idea , one out of the four teams often struggles , so I don't think too much will be lost, hopefully the competition won't be completley dominated by teams from the big leagues.

hopefully the competition won't be completley dominated by teams from the big leagues.

it is more likely that CL will be dominated by teams from the big leagues.

The big leagues will still dominate, this just eliminates the weakest team from each of those nations. It also ads a good team to the UEFA cup to beat up on those little teams.

I agree with this. And the 4th linesman.

I agree, 4 spots is way too much. Why the hell is the competition even called the Champions League anymore? That doesn't even make sense. Obviously it would be dumb to go on and change the brand now but limiting each country to a maximum of 3 teams would balance the West and the East of Europe a little more and make for even better competition. Also the 4 linesmen idea is brilliant, never ever thought of that before (Y). Like someone mentioned "what if they one says offside and the other doesnt" no problem, they just discuss it for a minute and come to a conclusion which will most likely be the right one. Linesmen these days don't have a choice, if they lift the flag, it's up and there's nothing they can do about it anymore.

I hope Platini wins (Y)

OH MAN. I just found out why this thread is called "England could lose Champions League spot"

IT'S THE TITLE OF THE ESPN ARTICLE!!!
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=386661&cc=5901

F*CKING ESPN. THERE IS NO WORLD OUTSIDE THE EPL FOR THEM. :f***:

Well the EPL is the only league represented by four teams at the moment. That could be the intention behind it.


Why the hell is the competition even called the Champions League anymore? That doesn't even make sense.

It's a compromise between the interests of the G14 and Uefa. If they didn't change the system of the CL in the 90s we would have a European Superleague by now without Uefa being part of it.


Obviously it would be dumb to go on and change the brand now but limiting each country to a maximum of 3 teams would balance the West and the East of Europe a little more and make for even better competition.
It would make things more boring. From the 6 Eastern European teams 5 of them are the whooping boys of their group. CSKA were the only side that could beat a team from the West.

Like someone mentioned "what if they one says offside and the other doesnt" no problem, they just discuss it for a minute and come to a conclusion which will most likely be the right one.
What if they don't come to a conclusion? It would only be a waste of time.

It's a compromise between the interests of the G14 and Uefa. If they didn't change the system of the CL in the 90s we would have a European Superleague by now without Uefa being part of it.



It would make things more boring. From the 6 Eastern European teams 5 of them are the whooping boys of their group. CSKA were the only side that could beat a team from the West.


What if they don't come to a conclusion? It would only be a waste of time.

I don't care much about the name I was just mentioning somthing obvious.


I disagree with your opinion. Obviously the teams from the East are getting wooped these days and you know why? Because they the balance of money is so lopsided when it comes to European football that it's not even funny. There is plenty of talent in Eastern Europe but people just don't want to invest when everything is already there in the West. Limiting each country to 3 teams would be a step in the right direction and your opinion is basically just the opinion of a Western European who doesn't give a crap about Eastern Europe.


How would they not come to a conclusion :|? Obviously if they got together and discussed it (as they do in the NFL, NBA, MLB - and it works almost 100% of the time they get the right call) they would HAVE to come to a conclusion. I don't understand what you meant by that statement.

I HOPE PLATINI LOSES, the CL is good as it is , i mean didnt FC porto and Monaco were in the final couple yrs back, and Man u finish last in their group last yr , so upsets like these make it fun.

and your opinion is basically just the opinion of a Western European who doesn't give a crap about Eastern Europe.

True. And you sound like an Eastern European that doesn't accept that unfortunately most of those third world countries are just a mess right now. As long as their economic shape doesn't improve there's little hope that Eastern European teams can compete with the others mid or long term.

How would they not come to a conclusion :|? Obviously if they got together and discussed it (as they do in the NFL, NBA, MLB - and it works almost 100% of the time they get the right call) they would HAVE to come to a conclusion. I don't understand what you meant by that statement.
Linesman A says the ball crossed the line. Linesman B says he had a good vision and the ball was cleared before the line. What now?

My biggest concern is that it could ruin the flow of the game when the match has to be stopped each time there are tough calls to be made. Dubious calls belong to football.

as they do in the NFL, NBA, MLB - and it works almost 100% of the time they get the right call
Ah freaking hell. NBA refs are horrible and biased. Some players receive superstar treatment (like the posterboys LeBron and Wade) or some teams are generally being treated better like the Lakers a few years ago.

Well the EPL is the only league represented by four teams at the moment. That could be the intention behind it.
From the same article
England, Spain and Italy all have four clubs in the Champions League under the current rules.
Which makes that article title total rubbish.

OH MAN. I just found out why this thread is called "England could lose Champions League spot"

IT'S THE TITLE OF THE ESPN ARTICLE!!!
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=386661&cc=5901

F*CKING ESPN. THERE IS NO WORLD OUTSIDE THE EPL FOR THEM. :f***:


Get the **** over it.

True. And you sound like an Eastern European that doesn't accept that unfortunately most of those third world countries are just a mess right now. As long as their economic shape doesn't improve there's little hope that Eastern European teams can compete with the others mid or long term.

What is there to accept? I'm not stupid, I know that Eastern European countries don't have the economic power to match-up with the West that wasn't my point. I'm saying that this move would allow for faster growth in football and economics of football in those nations if they were allowed more spots in the CL.


Linesman A says the ball crossed the line. Linesman B says he had a good vision and the ball was cleared before the line. What now?

Turst me they're not gonna sit there and argue like sissy girls over it, one is going to have a better angle than the other one and that will be that. As a reffereing team the other guy will just have to trust and accept his partners decision.


My biggest concern is that it could ruin the flow of the game when the match has to be stopped each time there are tough calls to be made. Dubious calls belong to football.

Ever seen these?

http://www.gameroomshack.com/wireless/JA-250V-SIDE.jpg

refs already use them in the CL and EPL to discuss important calls. Quick chat and we're set.


Ah freaking hell. NBA refs are horrible and biased. Some players receive superstar treatment (like the posterboys LeBron and Wade) or some teams are generally being treated better like the Lakers a few years ago.

They might be but I'm not talking about that. I'm referring to calls when one ref says it was out of bounds while another says the player was inbounds. They get together, talk for a little bit and come to a conclusion which like I said is almost always correct. Bias has nothing to do with that. You probably don't follow the NFL and MLB which is why you didn't comment on them as well. Both NFL and MLB refs do a great job when two of them call different things. Trust me, 4 linesmen would be a good move.

Get the **** over it.

u said it!

u said it!
It's insulting. Imagine the world is going to end and the New York Times headline reads, "America Doomed."

If it is not broken dont fix it.

the 4 referees idea erm...... iam not to sure on that one.

It's insulting. Imagine the world is going to end and the New York Times headline reads, "America Doomed."

yeah i know, but take it easy.

from the point of view of a lowered ranked country (Romania) i must agree to this.
Having 4 teams from one country ... doesn't make the CL a "champions" league ...
I believe that only the champions and runners-up from strongest 3-5 championships should play in CL. Also i am in favor of reducing the nr of teams in the groups stage to 16, like it was before ... Also, no team (from any championship) should be automatically qualified into the groups stage. Not fair ...

WHy the hell would u change and try to fix something that is already soo successful.

WHy the hell would u change and try to fix something that is already soo successful.

exactly

I agree with Platini, 4 teams is way too many. Just some average side in Italy, Spain or England has the same chance to qualify for the CL as a champion in a smaller league. Look at Osasuna this year, or Everton last year. I can name quite a lot of teams from smaller nations that belong in the CL rather than those teams. Good thing they didnt qualify.

i agree, not that much on the referees part, but the on the CL, i totally agree.

and whoever said anything about ASM being an underdog that year they made it to the finals lol, they trashed every team they faced, and they were two injuries away from being the champs.

4 Linesmen are too much: you might as well have a linesman on each section of the goal-lines to determine a corner or a goal kick :fool:

But yeh I agree with the 3-teams limit for the UCL, It'd be a shame that we'd miss out on some teams from the EPL, La Liga or Serie A, but expanding the scope of competitive football to all League winners of European foot ball would be better in the long run.

Oh and Hendrik, of course our Eastern European economies (and hence, among other things, football development) aren't in the best shape atm, but we have to start off from some point, don't we? (C)

you guys who want plantini to win,....... suck :jap:

Its easy to big nations like Spain or England to say its crap to change something who is "so sucsessfull".. but nation like Romanian, or Norway don't get any fun with todays rules..

Its not CHAMPIONS League.. but a "Top Team League" ... Every 1st place should go through the qual and into the group stage..

Its easy for big teams like Chelsea or Man Utd to be disagree with me, but for me who are Vålerenga fan, its not funny at all... We lost against Mlada Boleslav in qual.. and Mlada boleslav don't won the Czech League!! And we was the Holders of Tippeligaen.
Its not fair..

:kader: :kader: :kader:

But im proud of Norway.. we send just the Champion out to CL.. Not the 2. or 3.
So.. HAH to England, Spain or Italy who sends out all "the good teams".. Just the champion its good enough for CL.

Its not make sence that 2. place in England, Spain, Germany and Italy get through to the Champions League, then the Norwegian Champions have to play qual in 2. round..

what a great idea!!

wtf?

Five years ago the portuguese champion (Sporting) had to play against Inter in the 3rd qualifying round for the Champions League. Something is not right with the current structure.And I'm not saying this because I'm portuguese..actually all big 3 (Benfica, Sporting, Porto) have their spot...but it's simply not fair. You may say, if those smaller clubs have better teams they'll earn their spot thru qualifying stages but the thing is, you need good players to have good teams and money to have good players.. Well, we know where the money is. So it's almost impossible for these clubs to get there. Their only hope is to do well in UEFA cup so that they could be seeders and face worse teams next season on CL qualifying stages...

It is a sad situation. The problem is that on one hand, you'd rather see a fourth place team from England like Arsenal than see a second place team from Czech Republic, but this stints the growth of other leagues. A decision has to be made at some point though. They just have to be careful to make sure that the CL doesn't turn into Euro Vase.